gemstones

"Polycrates considered which of his treasures it would most grieve his soul to lose, and came to this conclusion: he wore a seal set in gold, an emerald, crafted by Theodorus son of Telecles of Samos."

"But for all that, Sancho, I have falne upon one thing, which is, that thou didst ill describe her beautie to me: for if I forget not, thou saydst she had eyes of Pearles, and such eyes are rather the eies of a Sea-Breame then a faire Dames: but as I thinke, Dulcineas eyes are like two greene Emeralds rared with two Celestiall Arkes, that serve them for Eyebrowes. And therefore for your pearles, take them from her eyes, and put them to her teeth: for doubtlesse, Sancho, thou mistook'st eyes for teeth."

"This gem of chastity, this emeraud."

"The deep green emerald, in whose fresh regard Weak sights their sickly radiance do amend."

"I took ship for Tyre in Phoenicia, where I had learned by inquiry that there was a holy temple of Heracles. There I saw it, richly equipped with many other offerings, besides two pillars, one of refined gold, one of emerald: a great pillar that shone at night."

"[H]is belly is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires."

"I have sapphires and rare gems On my mantle’s sacred hems,"

"The Indy saphyre blew Her vaynès doth ennew;"

"The heaven-hued sapphire"

"Sapphire produces peace of mind and equanimity. It chases out evil thoughts by establishing healthy circulation. It opens barred doors to the spirit. It produces a desire for prayer. It brings peace, but he who would wear it must lead a pure and holy life."

"Whilst the fond people offer’d Sacrifice To Saphyrs, ’stead of Veins and Arteries, And bow’d unto the Diamonds, not her Eyes."

"A sapphire shines as blue as heaven;"

"Between thy breasts (than down of swans more white) There plays the sapphire with the chrysolite."

"Dear, I took these trackless masses Fresh from Him who fashioned them; Wrought in rock, and hewed fair passes, Flower set, as sets a gem."

"If solid happiness we prize, Within our breast this jewel lies."

"You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride; you have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace."

"Our world hangs like a magnificent jewel in the vastness of space. Every one of us is a part of that jewel. A facet of that jewel. And in the perspective of infinity, our differences are infinitesimal."

"Self-respect without the respect of others is like a jewel which will not stand the daylight."

"All the breath and the bloom of the year in the bag of one bee: All the wonder and wealth of the mine in the heart of one gem: In the core of one pearl all the shade and the shine of the sea: Breath and bloom, shade and shine, — wonder, wealth, and — how far above them — Truth, that's brighter than gem, Trust, that's purer than pearl, — Brightest truth, purest trust in the universe, — all were for me In the kiss of one girl."

"How many a thing which we cast to the ground, When others pick it up, becomes a gem!"

"Sweet are the uses of adversity; Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous, Wears yet a precious jewel in his head."

"The earth, he'd say, is just a big machine. A big processing plant. A factory. That's your big answer. The big truth. Think of a rock polisher, one of those drums, goes round and round, rolls twenty-four/seven, full of water and rocks and gravel. Grinding it all up. Round and round. Polishing those ugly rocks into gemstones."

"How beautiful your sandaled feet, O prince’s daughter! Your graceful legs are like jewels, the work of an artist’s hands,"

"Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created."

"Don't waste the Earth — It is our Jewel!"

"My daughter! O my ducats! O my daughter! Fled with a Christian! O my Christian ducats! Justice! the law! my ducats and my daughter! A sealèd bag, two sealèd bags of ducats, Of double ducats, stol’n from me by my daughter! And jewels, two stones, two rich and precious stones, Stol’n by my daughter! Justice! find the girl, She hath the stones upon her and the ducats."

"I come from the elfin king’s demesne With chrysolite, hyacinth, tourmaline; I have emeralds here of living green; I have rubies, each like a cup of wine; And diamonds, diamonds that never have been Outshone by eyes the most divine!"

"When your spirit no longer shines, you crave gems."

"Why there, there, there, there! A diamond gone cost me two thousand ducats in Frankfort! The curse never fell upon our nation till now, I never felt it till now. Two thousand ducats in that, and other precious, precious jewels. I would my daughter were dead at my foot, and the jewels in her ear; would she were hearsed at my foot, and the ducats in her coffin."

"God can find a soul of beauty Where it falls, as gems of worth Are found by miners dark in earth."

"I look upon you as a gem of the old rock."

"About thy neck a carcanet is bound, Made of the ruby, pearl and diämond: A golden ring that shines upon thy thumb: About thy wrist, the rich dardanium. Between thy breasts (than down of swans more white) There plays the sapphire with the chrysolite. No part besides must of thyself be known, But by the topaz, opal, chalcedon."

"An emerald is as green as grass; A ruby red as blood; A sapphire shines as blue as heaven; A lies in the mud.A diamond is a brilliant stone, To catch the world’s desire; An holds a fiery spark; But a flint holds fire."

"Inestimable stones, unvalued jewels, All scattered in the bottom of the sea. Some lay in dead men’s skulls, and in the holes Where eyes did once inhabit there were crept— As ’twere in scorn of eyes—reflecting gems, That wooed the slimy bottom of the deep, And mocked the dead bones that lay scattered by."

"Any life form in any realm – mineral, vegetable, animal, or human – can be said to undergo “enlightenment.” It is, however, an extremely rare occurrence since it is more than an evolutionary progression: It also implies a discontinuity in its development, a leap to an entirely different level of Being and, most important, a lessening of materiality. What could be heavier and more impenetrable than a rock, the densest of all forms? And yet some rocks undergo a change in their molecular structure, turn into crystals, and so become transparent to the light. Some carbons, under inconceivable heat and pressure, turn into diamonds, and some heavy minerals into other precious stones.... Since time immemorial, flowers, crystals, precious stones, and birds have held special significance for the human spirit. Like all lifeforms, they are, of course, temporary manifestations of the underlying one Life, one Consciousness. Their special significance and the reason why humans feel such fascination for and affinity with them can be attributed to their ethereal quality."

"“The emerald is a natural emerald, which makes it slightly more valuable than an artificial one.” “How do you know?” I asked. She’d made the judgment a split second after she’d put the ring into the laser scanner. “Natural gems have flaws,” the jeweler said. “Artificial gems are perfect.”"

"A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it."

"A diamond is a portion of crystalized carbon. That is what we have all been for so many years admiring; that is what the Greeks call adamas (the unconquerable) that is what Mrs Jones calls “a diamont,” and to which all sorts of poets and lovers have likened the prettiest and sweetest, and brightest eyes which ever shone."

"There are three things extremely hard: steel, a diamond, and to know one's self."

"This diamond has so many carats it's almost a turnip."

"Yeah, it's tough being smart and sexy, too. I have to say, I'm really not that attractive. Until I met my husband, I could not get a date. I promise you it's true. My husband Jeff Richmond saw a diamond in the rough and took me in."

"The Koh-I-Noor is at present decidedly the lion of the Exhibition. A mysterious interest appears to be attached to it, and now that so many precautions have been resorted to, and so much difficulty attends its inspection, the crowd is enormously enhanced, and the policemen at either end of the covered entrance have much trouble in restraining the struggling and impatient multitude. For some hours yesterday there were never less than a couple of hundred persons waiting their turn of admission, and yet, after all, the diamond does not satisfy. Either from the imperfect cutting or the difficulty of placing the lights advantageously, or the immovability of the stone itself, which should be made to revolve on its axis, few catch any of the brilliant rays it reflects when viewed at a particular angle."

"Gems like these [The Aurora Pyramid of Hope] were not meant to be imprisoned in a dark underground safe for the momentary pleasure of a few eyes. The true value of a collection is sharing it with as many people who are interested to experience nature’s diversity of expression. It’s thrilling to think that the collection will be seen by the 3.6 million visitors that come to the Natural History Museum each year."

"Our understanding of the first use of diamond is based on textual evidence from 500 BC in India. But even that - though probably right - is speculative. This is physical evidence a couple of thousand years earlier."

"The major investors in the diamond mines created the instrument in 1888 called De Beers Consolidated Mines, Ltd., and incorporated in South Africa. De Beers proved to be the most successful cartel arrangement in the annals of modern commerce. The diamond invention is far more than a monopoly for fixing diamond prices; it is a mechanism for converting tiny crystals of carbon into universally recognized tokens of wealth, power, and romance ..."A Diamond Is Forever" became the official motto of De Beers."

"The diamond invention—the creation of the idea that diamonds are rare and valuable, and are essential signs of esteem—is a relatively recent development in the history of the diamond trade. Until the late nineteenth century, diamonds were found only in a few riverbeds in India and in the jungles of Brazil, and the entire world production of gem diamonds amounted to a few pounds a year. In 1870, however, huge diamond mines were discovered near the Orange River, in South Africa, where diamonds were soon being scooped out by the ton. Suddenly, the market was deluged with diamonds."

"Diamonds were nothing more than carbon, but carbon in a crystal lattice that made it the hardest known mineral in nature. That was the way we all were headed. I was sure of it. We were destined to be diamonds!"

"It is a bloody stone [Koh-I-Noor] that stays with the conqueror, it has no loyalty but to the one who 'conquered the land' got it. It is not the possession of the stone that establishes the 'master ship' of the stone; it is the conquered land. The stone appears and falls in the laps of the conqueror. This is one stone that like a masters cannot be sold neither can be hidden and it is always found. It so far over centuries had the tendency to move towards the subcontinent."

"Why do people like these things? They're just shiny rocks."

"I think it's fun to look at people with big diamonds. I see them in my audience all the time, with the fur coat, a woman whose hand is always out front, or the two fingers are on the cheek to show her diamond. I don't have anything against that."